Netanyahu Says Abbas Must Choose Between Hamas And Peace

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 10 on Friday that the latest Gaza conflict “might have” opened a possibility for a diplomatic breakthrough with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but only if Abbas decides to give Hamas “a divorce.”

Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah party are currently part of the unity government.

“I think [Abbas] understands today that he must choose between a Hamas that doesn’t only call for [Israel’s] destruction, it also called for his overthrow, and in fact acted on it,” Netanyahu said, referring to a recently uncovered Hamas plot to topple Abbas in the West Bank. “I hope that we can cooperate with him on a diplomatic process.”

Abbas and Netanyahu reportedly held a secret meeting in the Jordanian capital of Amman several days before Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire.